In a letter to Home Minister P Chidambaram earlier this month, Soni said the need for setting up tourist police forces in all states had become “absolutely imperative” in view of the Mumbai terror attacks.

“I wish to suggest that the Home Ministry could meet up to 50 per cent of the recurring expenditure on the salaries of employees of such a force for a period of five years from its budget,” Soni wrote.

The idea of having a separate ‘tourist police’ at important tourist destinations was revived earlier this year in the wake of a spate of attacks on foreign tourists. It was based on a model being followed in ten states which had created a separate force to ensure the safety of tourists and tourist destinations.

The Centre had suggested that the state governments could employ retired armed forces personnel for setting up this force. Nearly 60,000 soldiers retire from the armed forces every year, many of them from the short service commission at a young age. This vast pool of trained manpower could be utilised in preventing attacks on tourists, the Centre had reasoned.

Though many state governments had reacted positively to the proposal, they had not been able to earmark sufficient funds for the creation of such a force. Soni is now arguing that if the Home Ministry agreed to partially fund the scheme, the state governments can put in place a ‘tourist police’ at the earliest.

In her letter to Chidambaram, Soni said once the Home Ministry gave its ‘in principle’ approval to her suggestion, the logistics and financial implication of such a decision could be worked out in consultation with the state governments. Home Ministry sources said Soni’s suggestion was still being considered.